New-old car has a brass crush washer on the oil plug. I've got plenty of aluminum ones in the right size. Never thought about this before - does the material matter?
New-old car has a brass crush washer on the oil plug. I've got plenty of aluminum ones in the right size. Never thought about this before - does the material matter?
On an oil drain plug I would use it although I prefer to use those washers that have a rubber "O" ring molded into it.
IF it were a brake line then I'd use copper if exposure to corrosion was likely.
I have seen aluminum washers corrode to the point of leaking after five years. (Hyundai/Kia automatic trans drain plugs, MANY times)
For an oil drain plug, the torque is or should be low, so use aluminum. Or preferably a rubber/metal gasket. Or a GM/Ford style drain plug with a replaceable O-ring. (I like those the best)
I suspect your brass crush washer is actually copper, which can be re-annealed and re-used, if they're not galled or otherwise borked. Heat to a red glow and plunge into water, reinstall and smile.
Corollas in the 80's had a little cutout between the threaded nut and the sheet metal of the pan, and the fiber washer would dent the tin in a bit, so aluminum or copper will always leak.
Ask me how many tries it took me to figure that out.
You'll need to log in to post.
